Kind of boring to be honest. Not to take anything away from the soldiers, but watching that was like watching golf. 9 minutes of waiting, 1 minute of something happening. And what's with the elevator music?

Frothy Panties:Cormee: Vewry relaxing music to watch people get burned to death to

Did you watch the video? Nobody is shown being burned to death. It does show the ammo cooking off in the Panzer, though. That was cool.

Yeah, from what I could make out someone in the second (I think) tank doesn't make it, one or two others do escape it before him, but the ammo explodes in the tank while he's struggling to get out and he gets burned alive.

indarwinsshadow:Kind of boring to be honest. Not to take anything away from the soldiers, but watching that was like watching golf. 9 minutes of waiting, 1 minute of something happening. And what's with the elevator music?

Congrats, you've just found out war isn't like Hollywood. It's a lot of movement and sitting around and then high holy terror and then death and then movement and sitting around again.

Scorpitron is reduced to a thin red paste:indarwinsshadow: Kind of boring to be honest. Not to take anything away from the soldiers, but watching that was like watching golf. 9 minutes of waiting, 1 minute of something happening. And what's with the elevator music?

Congrats, you've just found out war isn't like Hollywood. It's a lot of movement and sitting around and then high holy terror and then death and then movement and sitting around again.

I imagine it is..and was. Want to read about bad luck? My grandfather. 38 years old. To old to enlist. Lies about his age, joins the Princess Pat's light infantry. Stuck at base Borden, near Barrie, Ontario in the winter of '44. Coldest winter in years. Shipped off to England, and then to a beach at Normandy. July 17th, 1944. Next day, they push inwards, encountering light resistance until they make their way to Caen. Sticks his head up from a pile of rubble when told to engage a pocket of resistance and was promptly shot in half by a tank round at around 11:00 a.m. July 18th. 1944. One frickin day in. That my friend. Is our legacy. Someday, our (my families) ship will come in. And we'll be at the airport.

Scorpitron is reduced to a thin red paste:Congrats, you've just found out war isn't like Hollywood. It's a lot of movement and sitting around and then high holy terror and then death and then movement and sitting around again.

indarwinsshadow:Kind of boring to be honest. Not to take anything away from the soldiers, but watching that was like watching golf. 9 minutes of waiting, 1 minute of something happening. And what's with the elevator music?

Yah, watching a dying man struggle out of a tank as the stump that used to be his leg still smokes from the tank round that just moments ago severed it sure is boring.

insano:indarwinsshadow: Kind of boring to be honest. Not to take anything away from the soldiers, but watching that was like watching golf. 9 minutes of waiting, 1 minute of something happening. And what's with the elevator music?

Yah, watching a dying man struggle out of a tank as the stump that used to be his leg still smokes from the tank round that just moments ago severed it sure is boring.

The Sherman tank ran on gas (petrol) rather then diesel. It was also a medium tank rather then a heavy tank. There were various nicknames, "Tommy Cooker" & Ronson - because it lit up first time every time.

Frothy Panties:Cormee: Vewry relaxing music to watch people get burned to death to

Did you watch the video? Nobody is shown being burned to death. It does show the ammo cooking off in the Panzer, though. That was cool.

Actually, it looks like the gunner of the Panther was trying to get out of the turret as the second shot hit the turret. First shot hit the hull in line with the turret basket, and third shot hit after everybody was out or dead, but it wouldn't surprise me if the gunner was killed by that second shot, and either the loader or commander died from wounds after bailing out.

insano:Yah, watching a dying man struggle out of a tank as the stump that used to be his leg still smokes from the tank round that just moments ago severed it sure is boring.

That was pretty grisly in perspective; that was a real person.

rebelyell2006:Actually, it looks like the gunner of the Panther was trying to get out of the turret as the second shot hit the turret. First shot hit the hull in line with the turret basket, and third shot hit after everybody was out or dead, but it wouldn't surprise me if the gunner was killed by that second shot, and either the loader or commander died from wounds after bailing out.

That's what it looked like to me; ya don't see the gunner get out/away from the cooking tank. Poor bastard. Can you imagine the sound, sitting in that turret when it gets blasted by that second shot? Looked like well-placed shots from the Pershing, right on the joint between the turret and deck.

indarwinsshadow:insano: indarwinsshadow: Kind of boring to be honest. Not to take anything away from the soldiers, but watching that was like watching golf. 9 minutes of waiting, 1 minute of something happening. And what's with the elevator music?

Yah, watching a dying man struggle out of a tank as the stump that used to be his leg still smokes from the tank round that just moments ago severed it sure is boring.

What, not high def enough?

[timothywlong.com image 300x367]

Relax. You'll live longer.

Those are real people, guy. The footage should hardly be called boring. That's a pretty frighteningly desensitized reaction for you to have. I mean it's not heart pounding excitement but still.

That was intense, and its kinda strange to think that a couple of those german guys who seemed so alive getting out of the tank probably died from their wounds (especially the gunner). However, I am a little pleased with myself that I was able to identify the second American tank as an M26 Pershing before the video told me what it was.

Not to threadjack, but is anyone else having the damnedest time lately watching videos on YouTube? Every one now buffers up to about the 25% mark, or not at all, and stops/stutters for the whole video while the thing loads. I'm using Chrome and have tried both the embedded Flash and the latest one I downloaded from Adobe. I've clear all temp files. I've got a decent Fios connection; no other browsing or downloading is slow like this. Only YouTube. I feel like it started after a Chrome update but can't be sure.

I was in Cologne for the first time ever last summer. I had seen this video just before I left. I was amazed at how beautiful the city is currently, after having been so devastated during WWII. The fact that it was the height of the election in the US, and people talking about America being destroyed really drove home the point that most people are assholes and have no idea what true devastation even looks like.

bugmn99:Not to threadjack, but is anyone else having the damnedest time lately watching videos on YouTube? Every one now buffers up to about the 25% mark, or not at all, and stops/stutters for the whole video while the thing loads. I'm using Chrome and have tried both the embedded Flash and the latest one I downloaded from Adobe. I've clear all temp files. I've got a decent Fios connection; no other browsing or downloading is slow like this. Only YouTube. I feel like it started after a Chrome update but can't be sure.

indarwinsshadow:Scorpitron is reduced to a thin red paste: indarwinsshadow: Kind of boring to be honest. Not to take anything away from the soldiers, but watching that was like watching golf. 9 minutes of waiting, 1 minute of something happening. And what's with the elevator music?

Congrats, you've just found out war isn't like Hollywood. It's a lot of movement and sitting around and then high holy terror and then death and then movement and sitting around again.

I imagine it is..and was. Want to read about bad luck? My grandfather. 38 years old. To old to enlist. Lies about his age, joins the Princess Pat's light infantry. Stuck at base Borden, near Barrie, Ontario in the winter of '44. Coldest winter in years. Shipped off to England, and then to a beach at Normandy. July 17th, 1944. Next day, they push inwards, encountering light resistance until they make their way to Caen. Sticks his head up from a pile of rubble when told to engage a pocket of resistance and was promptly shot in half by a tank round at around 11:00 a.m. July 18th. 1944. One frickin day in. That my friend. Is our legacy. Someday, our (my families) ship will come in. And we'll be at the airport.

A lot of that going on back at that time. My grandfather's two first cousins died on Omaha beach. It was their first and only day of battle.

I had a problem today at work where YouTube would play the sound normally, but the video frame rate was one frame per second. That isn't slow, that's a slideshow.

After watching the vids, I'm impressed with the fighting on both sides. Both sides scored vehicle and man kills.

The Germans seemed indestructible - there's a scene where the guy identified as the driver is halfway out a hatch, and another round comes in. His lower body is still in the tank, his upper body maybe three feet from where what I'm guessing is an anti-armor round goes off. He's engulfed in the spray of metal sparks, and I expected to just never see him again. Instead, he *gets out the rest of the way*, and runs off.

WTF did they make those guys out of back then?

/ I'm guessing nobody in that video ever heard another sound but tinnitus for the rest of their lives, if they lived at all.

I don't get what people here are talking about. That was pretty heart stopping for me. The sheer terror of it. The tension was obvious from the fact the cameraman couldn't keep it steady for at least 2 reasons:

1. He's on the front line - people are shooting at people2. Tanks firing are loud

The elevator music doesn't help give the sense of what that's like. Being in action is anything but calm or serene. If you've ever been around any kind of big bore guns going off you'll know it'll rattle your fillings. Thankfully I've never been around the receiving end of it, but I doubt it's quiet either. But thankfully there was no sound. I doubt those men died quietly. They probably went the same way they came in, screaming for their mothers.

It's pretty gut wrenching to watch the Sherman commander crawl out. He may just be some guy on a film to you. But he was an American. From the same places we come from. And he didn't make it back. He died a horrible death. Hopefully the medic loaded him up with morphine before he went so at least that was merciful.

And, though I hate their cause, I've got to give some respect to the Germans. From the map they showed they were engaged at the front and on the flank. They killed a tank on the front and didn't withdraw. They stood their ground as it looks like they were covering a bridge behind them. They knew what was going to come next. And they still did it. I don't know how many people could do that.

Thankfully I've never been in any action and hope I never am. War is hell.

MadMattressMack:It's pretty gut wrenching to watch the Sherman commander crawl out. He may just be some guy on a film to you. But he was an American. From the same places we come from. And he didn't make it back. He died a horrible death. Hopefully the medic loaded him up with morphine before he went so at least that was merciful.

Yes. Thank you. Apparently to some, witnessing that man's horrible last moments was boring, but to me it was very disturbing.

I'm sure he wouldn't be disappointed to know that his death wasn't very entertaining.

indarwinsshadow:insano: indarwinsshadow: Kind of boring to be honest. Not to take anything away from the soldiers, but watching that was like watching golf. 9 minutes of waiting, 1 minute of something happening. And what's with the elevator music?

Yah, watching a dying man struggle out of a tank as the stump that used to be his leg still smokes from the tank round that just moments ago severed it sure is boring.

What, not high def enough?

[timothywlong.com image 300x367]

Relax. You'll live longer.

You're a farking idiot and an ungrateful retard. What makes you think telling you that isn't a relaxing thing to do?

MadMattressMack:I don't get what people here are talking about. That was pretty heart stopping for me. The sheer terror of it. The tension was obvious from the fact the cameraman couldn't keep it steady for at least 2 reasons:

1. He's on the front line - people are shooting at people2. Tanks firing are loud

The elevator music doesn't help give the sense of what that's like. Being in action is anything but calm or serene. If you've ever been around any kind of big bore guns going off you'll know it'll rattle your fillings. Thankfully I've never been around the receiving end of it, but I doubt it's quiet either. But thankfully there was no sound. I doubt those men died quietly. They probably went the same way they came in, screaming for their mothers.

It's pretty gut wrenching to watch the Sherman commander crawl out. He may just be some guy on a film to you. But he was an American. From the same places we come from. And he didn't make it back. He died a horrible death. Hopefully the medic loaded him up with morphine before he went so at least that was merciful.

And, though I hate their cause, I've got to give some respect to the Germans. From the map they showed they were engaged at the front and on the flank. They killed a tank on the front and didn't withdraw. They stood their ground as it looks like they were covering a bridge behind them. They knew what was going to come next. And they still did it. I don't know how many people could do that.

Thankfully I've never been in any action and hope I never am. War is hell.

Indeed, that took balls to stay put. Smart move was to at least change position. They weren't really on the flank, per-se, The locations of the tanks formed a V. The tank was mostly pointed straight toward the sherman, and the Pershing was on their right forward quarter (30ish to 40ish degrees off center it looked like). If you are going to have to sit at a conversion of two roads, thats not a bad spot to be, especially in the Panther.

If you switch out the Pershing for the standard M4, (or even the upgunned Sherman with the 76mm) theres a good chance the flank shot bounces off the armor of the Panther. The 90mm on the Pershing though was quite good.... The US guys could have sent in one of the 90mm armed tank destroyers to do it as well.

It also looks like the Panther's turret was rotated to face the Pershing when it went off, it wasn't still pointed down toward the Sherman. I wouldn't want to imagine the sheer horror, panic, and race for life you would experience as you traversed your turret so...agonizingly...slow........and realized you didn't make it in time when that other muzzle staring you down flashed...

Wicked Chinchilla:It also looks like the Panther's turret was rotated to face the Pershing when it went off, it wasn't still pointed down toward the Sherman. I wouldn't want to imagine the sheer horror, panic, and race for life you would experience as you traversed your turret so...agonizingly...slow........and realized you didn't make it in time when that other muzzle staring you down flashed...

...or the relief from the Pershing crew to have gotten the shot off first, and then to realize it was a good hit.

GoldSpider:Wicked Chinchilla: It also looks like the Panther's turret was rotated to face the Pershing when it went off, it wasn't still pointed down toward the Sherman. I wouldn't want to imagine the sheer horror, panic, and race for life you would experience as you traversed your turret so...agonizingly...slow........and realized you didn't make it in time when that other muzzle staring you down flashed...

...or the relief from the Pershing crew to have gotten the shot off first, and then to realize it was a good hit.

Indeed. Everyone's playing for keeps here. Not winning is a very bad option.

I was also referring to their situations. It's March 6, 1945. Hitler will be dead in 7 weeks. Any illusion of the cause you're fighting for is gone. Your cities are being bombed daily. You're hearing horror stories from the few who make it back from the east front. And the surprisingly few who make it back tell an even bigger story. The allies have been fairly relentless and, even though they have some inferior equipment, they have been getting a lot of reinforcements. But there aren't any for you. But you still put your uniform on and stand. That's respectable in my book.

MadMattressMack:Any illusion of the cause you're fighting for is gone. Your cities are being bombed daily. You're hearing horror stories from the few who make it back from the east front. And the surprisingly few who make it back tell an even bigger story. The allies have been fairly relentless and, even though they have some inferior equipment, they have been getting a lot of reinforcements. But there aren't any for you. But you still put your uniform on and stand. That's respectable in my book.

It also looks like the Panther's turret was rotated to face the Pershing when it went off, it wasn't still pointed down toward the Sherman. I wouldn't want to imagine the sheer horror, panic, and race for life you would experience as you traversed your turret so...agonizingly...slow........and realized you didn't make it in time when that other muzzle staring you down flashed...

I read somewhere that the Panther commander was interviewed after the war, and stated that he hesitated to fire on the Pershing because they didn't recognise it (the fact that it appeared from a different flank then the Sherman helped too). Otherwise it might have ended differently.